Lesson #4

So, for this week I found more quotes on enjoying life and general life lessons.
Without further ado:

1) This is a quote I came across when I was reading "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins. It's from Robinson Crusoe, a book that the narrator finds comfort in:

Can you read this? Click image to enlarge.

So: Fear of Danger is more terrifying than the Danger itself....I definitely think there's some truth to this and its relevant to every day life. How many times do we stop in our tracks and refuse to do something because we don't want to put ourselves in danger: at that point in time, we are more afraid of how we feel in danger than the actual danger. To give a (soft) example: in swimming, one of the most dreaded events is the 200 butterfly. In my own experience, as well as the experience of others I've found that I'm more nervous and anxious before the event just thinking about swimming the event. So in this case, the fear of danger---the fear of being in pain and swimming something I don't want to----outweighs the swim itself. I've had to swim it often enough to know what it's not that bad and I can do it, but before each swim I still get nervous just thinking about it. (Wish me good luck---I'm swimming it this Saturday!)

NOTE: the word "Burthen" is an archaic form of "Burden"

2) So this next quote is more about being happy in life, though it may sometimes be at the expense of another:

Context isn't super important here, you just need to understand what he's saying. And think about it----taking the term "neighbor" as a general term meaning "those around you"------how often do you tease and poke fun at those around you? With my own friends, its something we do regularly (though we make sure not to be really hurtful, so some of our teasing is along the lines of "Haha, you're so much like (insert least favorite literary character here)". Don't laugh at me, it can be hilarious if you know what you're talking about)

With my friends that don't have great understanding of lit characters, our teasing jousts are more "normal".....So know think about your own friends and how you guys interact and make fun of each other. Even think about the people you and your friends make fun of (your enemies? Frienemies? Which ever)......in those cases, you are "making sport of your neighbors" and "laughing at them in your turn". 

3) Finally, one short one more, just because I thought it was funny. Context here is a little more important: A precious Indian stone has just been stolen from a house, and we don't know who did it (we're pretty sure as to why). The butler is the narrator here and is telling about what they did the morning they found out the diamond was gone:

I don't think this needs much explanation: its pretty self explanatory: EVERYONE LOVES FOOD. Breakfast is supposedly the most important meal of the day and food is comforting. So in the event of a robbery (especially in England) BREAKFAST IS IMPORTANT

That's it!

PLAN FOR NEXT WEEK:

So next week I'm going to delve into the humor of classic lit more than the relevance....a lot of it will need a context explanation, but some of it you will be able to find amusing on your own.

Until then,

Claire

Lesson #2

Hi there......I told you last week that I'd do a post about virtues/vices etc this week, and as promised, here it is! I found two quotes (both Jane Austen this time, though I tried to go for a bit more diversity) on the topic at hand....

So, this quote is pretty self explanatory, but I wanted to include it because it struck me when I read it. It points out our common misconceptions of vanity and pride, despite the fact that the quote itself is about 200 years old. Vanity and pride are definitely related, but often confused, or as Austen says, used synonymously.

Continuing in the same vein as pride and vanity, the next quote (also from Austen's Pride and Prejudice) is about humility.

 This one is a bit more complex than the first quote......The first bit I agree with---nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility---and I agree for one important reason: think about people who are humble: you are more likely to trust them, you know you can depend on them, and they do their best to make you feel your best, regardless of their own feelings; in short, they are amazing individuals in whom you trust. But then think about someone you know is a liar: they are not someone you trust, they often annoy and irritate those around them, etc. What if your supposedly humble, trustworthy friend turned out to be an untrustworthy liar. Obviously you would be furious, because you trusted this person and thought they were a good friend. All in agreement? Good, moving on. The next part "It is often only carelessness of opinion..." is much harder to decipher. By "carelessness of opinion" I think Darcy is referring to a carelessness of opinion of their own accomplishments, which is not humility, but instead indifference. This can be considered rude, because if one seriously doesn't care about the things they've done, they are diminishing the similar accomplishments of others, and essentially telling them they have nothing to be proud of. The last part, "sometimes an indirect boast" comes easily enough after having considered the previous portion. If not humility or carelessness of opinion, the feeling toward one's own accomplishments is either a) blatantly boastful ("Look what I've done!!"--not even an attempt to be humble) or b) indirectly boastful (Darcy's point: "Oh, that's no big matter, I've done better"/fishing for attention). This, for me anyway, is the worst kind of false humility. Those who fish for attention are not only keeping an appearance of humility, but are also inwardly consumed with pride and vanity (See first quote).

I hope you enjoyed this weeks post (if you even got through it?). Next week I'll being pulling quotes on relationships (there are TONS so this should be fun and easy).

Thanks! If you have any suggestions, comment please!

Claire